Changes at Our Doors
How Gentrification & Rezoning Affect NYC Public Schools
Image Left: Don't Gentrify East New York by Doug Chayka
What is Gentrification?
Gentrification is the process by which the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in, attracting new businesses, and increasing living costs and rent. This changing demographic results in the displacement of the area's original inhabitants. This commonly understood definition undermines the gravity of the effects of gentrification that especially fall on predominantly low-income communities and neighborhoods of color. In the article Gentrification, Market Regimes, and the New Entrepreneurial Principal: Enacting Integration or Displacement?, by Chy McGhee and Gary Anderson, Tom Slater is quoted as referring to gentrification as, “increasingly seen as a sign of a healthy economic present and future for cities across the globe” (p. 738), while its negative impact on local, low-income communities of color is often de-emphasized (Buras, 2013).”
How does Gentrification Affect Neighborhood Schools?
Gentrification places minority students in public schools at a disadvantage. This is largely due to the power that white parents hold in the education system, especially in choosing which school to send their children to. The concept of school choice is often regarded as a method for all children to receive better educations, providing a pathway away from failing schools or schools that are not helping children succeed academically. However, this "choice" brings consequences that leave some schools ultimately abandoned and left with limited resources that have to serve less privileged children. To put it bluntly, white and wealthy parents are taking their kids out of schools that they deem unsatisfactory, even if they are located right in their neighborhoods, thus creating an image of that school being inept in preparing children for the future. This further perpetuates a system in which less privileged black students are then stuck in the schools that are seemingly labeled as less fit. Studies show that housing segregation is indeed prevalent and clear in many regions, especially in New York City, but if all students were to attend schools that were within their neighborhood zones, students would be less segregated, both racially and socioeconomically. Black children are less likely to attend schools within their neighborhoods.
A Closer Look at P.S. 191 in the Upper West Side
P.S. 191 is a prime example of the segregation problems in District 3. Before the rezoning, P.S. 191 (The Riverside School for Makers and Artists) had a majority Black and Hispanic student population. However, the demographics of P.S. 191 were not representative of the community the school was in. ⅔ of the children living in the P.S. 191 zone attended other public schools, such as P.S. 199, whose student body was majority white. This shows the power of school choice held by white parents, as well as the issues schools with majority students of color have with admissions. On top of this, the majority white school, P.S. 199 was notoriously overcrowded.
(Hover over markers for descriptions)
The rezoning of District 3 was initiated by the Department of Education and the District 3 CEC with the intent of alleviating overcrowding at P.S. 191 and making schools more racially and socioeconomically integrated. In the summer of 2016, the Department of Education drafted two rezoning proposals, both of of which would split the families living in the Lincoln Towers, up-scale and modern residential high rises, between the two schools. P.S. 191 was moved to a new building which had more resources. The new building was closer to the Lincoln Towers and farther from the Amsterdam Houses, the public, low-income housing project that P.S. 191 was originally zoned to.
Both images were taken at the same intersection. Left: Amsterdam Houses, Right: New luxury high rises
Left: P.S. 191's old building, which has been converted to an elementary school P.S. 452 Right: P.S. 191's new building
In an effort to encourage white parents to enroll their children in P.S. 191, the DOE announced in 2016 that the school would implement a Gifted & Talented program for students in the third grade and higher. However, along with moving P.S. 191 into a new building with the hopes of appealing to more white parents, the school still has a majority Black and Hispanic student population and remains segregated.
The question was why were white parents choosing not to send their children to PS191? White parents often use coded-language to explain why they won’t send their kids to predominantly Black and Brown schools. In the comments section of Inside Schools for P.S. 191 , parents discuss their thoughts on the school. One parent writes, “There are too many troubled kids in this school. I see a lot of disrespectful kids, cursing and acting in a way that is inappropriate, but then again parents come in to pick up their kids smelling like marijuana.” Here, we see language like “troubled” and “disrespectful” used to describe the mostly Black and Brown students at Riverside. There is also the thought that the Black and Brown parents do not care enough about education.
When considering why the schools remained segregated after rezoning, Clara Hemphill, the editor of Insideschools.org, explains that it may have to do with how comfortable parents of color feel with their children attending majority white schools. She says, “Some parents from Amsterdam Houses who were rezoned to P.S. 199 might be choosing instead to send their children to P.S. 191, where most of their neighbors’ children go to school.” The importance of an environment that is community-based and affirming of students’ identities is only further complicated by the ways in which housing segregation are linked directly to school segregation. Even though through the process of gentrification more white, middle and upper class families move into the community, it is difficult to see real progress in integration of schools.
What Now?
P..S 191 moved into a new building with the hopes of appealing to more white parents, yet the school still has a majority Black and Hispanic student population. Still, there has been marked improvement in test scores, and additions of new programs, like the Mandarin dual language program.
If the district continues to pursue integration, one option might be requiring students to go to certain schools within the district, rather than allowing choice within a district, as white parents have time and time again proven to choose to not send their children to schools with a majority of students of color. However, requiring students to attend certain schools may lead to a dynamic called “white flight”. White flight occurs when white parents choose to leave a school as students of color enter. Given the array of non-public school options in the area of P.S. 191 and P.S. 199, white flight is especially possible.
A more beneficial next step may be a shift in focus from prioritizing racial integration to increasing opportunities at more low-income schools with mostly monitory students. Understanding, communicating, and prioritizing the equal education of all children over prestige and reputation are all necessary in finding community-oriented solutions.
